Material presented here is drawn primarily from Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's 1839 edition of Algic Researches—a rare, yet often cited publication. However, stories from two later Schoolcraft collections, Oneota and The Myth of Hiawatha, are also included in an appendix. Thus, a representative view of the entire body of Schoolcraft's published Indian legends is available in a single volume.
With a new forward by Phillip P. Mason, this book is designed to reacquaint America with one of its often-neglected geniuses. It is apparent when studying Schoolcraft's writing that he was clearly one of the first European Americans to recognize the merit and value of the Native American heritage as expressed in oral tradition.
Critics have been divided in their assessment of Schoolcraft's contribution to the collection and preservation of Native American lore. The tide of interpretation has seen Schoolcraft's work achieve an initial popularity, only to be rejected by members of the 1920s intelligentsia, the same individuals who critically embraced (and seldom properly attributed) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's adaptations of Schoolcraft's work. However, Schoolcraft received renewed attention, first in the 1950s, when Williams undertook to collect and edit the original volumes, and again today when the value and validity of the Native American oral tradition has, once again, been "discovered."
CONTENTSPrefaceEditor's IntroductionVolume IALGIC RESEARCHESGeneral ConsiderationsPreliminary ObservationsOjeeg Annung, or The Summer-makerThe Celestial SistersTau-Wau-Chee-Hezkaw, or The White FeatherPeboan and Seegwun. An Allegory of the SeasonsThe Red LoverIamo, or The Undying HeadMon-Daw-Min, or The Origin of Indian CornPeeta Kway, or The TempestManabozho or The Great Incarnation of the NorthBokwewa, or The HumpbackIena, or The Magic BundleSheem, or The Forsaken BoyPaup-Puk-KeewissIadilla, or The Origin of the RobinThe Enchanted MoccasinsThe Broken Wing. An AllegoryThe Three Cranberries. A FableParadise Opened to the Indians; Pontiac's TaleVolume IIALGIC RESEARCHESThe Red SwanAggo Dah Gauda, or The Man with his Leg Tied UpIosco, or a Visit to the Sun and MoonThe Two Jeebi-Ug, or A Trial of FeelingPah-hah-undootah, or The Red HeadLeelinau, or The Lost DaughterPuk Wudj Ininee, A Fairy TaleMishosha, or The Magician of the LakesThe WeendigoesThe Raccoon and the Crawfish, A FableLa Poudre, or The Storm FoolGit-chee-gau-zinee, or The TranceWassamo, or The Fire PlumeOsseo, or The Son of the Evening StarKwasind, or The Fearfully Strong ManMudjee Monedo and Minno MonedoThe Pigeon Hawk and the Tortoise, A FableThe Charmed ArrowAddik Kum Maig, or The Origin of the WhitefishOwasso and Wayoond, or The Manito FoiledShawondaseeThe Linnet and the Eagle, A FableThe Moose and the Woodpecker, or Manabozho in DistressWeengIagooThe Grave Light, or Adventures of a Warrior's SoulPaugukThe Vine and Oak, an AllegoryAppendix AAppendix BBibliography
